The level was created towards the end of development on the first game. Since Kurosaki was relatively new to designing maps, he didn't understand how to correctly spread out challenges, so the level ended up being quite hard for even him. "Stormy Ascent" is also notorious for being the largest level in the original Crash, clocking in at roughly four times the size of any other level in the game.
Now, though, the level is officially a part of Crash Bandicoot today, albeit as DLC. While there isn't yet a price on the map, if you download it before August 19, you'll can nab it for free!
